Any time I can eliminate or lower my stress level when traveling, I’m a happy camper. I am always on the lookout for travel tips and tricks. Now I can’t wait for my next flight, so I can try Gary’s tip. Read on.

ARRIVALS FOR DEPARTURES. I travel a lot and sometimes if I’m in a time crunch getting to the airport, I use the Arrivals instead of the Departures to reach my terminal. This saves a lot of time, even though I may have to take my luggage up the elevator. I figure this is a viable option if the only other choice I have is to miss my flight. Gary, Oregon Read more

Don’t look now, but that man who just walked into the store behind you is not here to shop. He’s a shopping anthropologist. The store hired his employer to find out what makes you tick. Once they have this data, they’ll use it to improve their profit margins.

Hello Everyone out there in DPL Land! I hope you’re having a great weekend, despite the sizzling weather conditions in a great deal of North America. In an act of gratitude for being blessed with paradise-like weather where I live (currently 70F with gentle breeze), I thought I’d show you a quick and easy way to make fun snack containers to give a second life to bottles you might otherwise discard, and to also tidy up your pantry shelves.

It’s called Dump Chicken. And it’sgenius. Here’s why: You dump chicken pieces and your choice of sauce into a 1-gallon freezer bag and stick it in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, dump it into a pan and bake it. That’s it!

The following recipes can be made with any four to eight pieces of chicken; bone-in or boneless, skin-on or skinless, even whole. Experiment to see what you prefer. Simply mix the sauce ingredients and toss into the bag along with the chicken, seal and freeze. Read more

Dear Mary, I love your “Everyday Cheapskate” newspaper column. You’ve changed my life! Now I need help. My house is worth half of what I owe on the mortgage. Is it still considered a secured debt? I would love to sell it. I’ve even tried to give it back to the bank, but they won’t take it. Many people are in my situation. I’m trying to play by the rules, but I feel they keep changing. Laurie, Michigan

Dear Laurie, Thanks for your kind words. Many people tell me they’re getting the equivalent of a degree in personal finance just by reading “Everyday Cheapskate.”

The housing crisis in this country is a tragedy, and one that way too many people didn’t see coming when they mortgaged their homes so heavily. However, I do not see where the rules are changing, as you suggest. In fact, I see the opposite. Many people now want lenders to change the rules based on the economy. Read more

For anyone who has had to deal with a child in pain, it can be a painful experience for everyone—regardless of the age of the child. That’s why as a parent—and now as a grandparent—I appreciate hints and tips that will help me be even more resourceful.

If there’s one thing that makes many people go hmmmm, it’s the topic of credit counseling. Many people still confuse credit counseling—paying back all of what a borrower owes—with debt settlement and negotiating payoffs of 50 percent or less of what the borrower owes. Others assume incorrectly that credit counseling is the same as debt consolidation.

Credit counseling is educating consumers on how to avoid incurring debts that cannot be repaid, and creating an effective debt management plan and budget. Credit counselors are often able to negotiate lower interest rates and a more favorable payback schedule.

Here’s when a credit counselor’s debt-management program may help you: Read more

We need to talk about this word “cheapskate.” It was in the original name of my newsletter, Cheapskate Monthly, and for the past eight years it’s appeared at the top of this column. Yet what the word means to me has come up only a couple of times, in the early days of the newsletter and in the very first column. So, I can’t really blame the reader who sent me a letter accusing me of being a hypocrite. I’m the one who took the bold move to redefine the word, a little something I may have failed to mention to her and to you.It all goes back to my life as a credit-card junkie. My house of cards finally collapsed after 12 years of outrageous spending. It wasn’t a pretty picture: over $100,000 of unsecured debt (and those were 1985 dollars). Read more

Salad is often categorized as a side dish. Especially September through May. But come Summer, salad becomes the headliner; the star of the show. And it’s a well-earned designation, too. Add a little protein and you’ve got a full meal. Toss in some fruit and you’ve dialed things up on the nutrition scale. As I write, it’s a very cool day in Southern California where I live. But I know this will not last. I love a big salad in the summer that combines grains, fruits, vegetables and even meats in one dish. It’s the perfect way to use up chicken or steak left from last night’s barbecue, or even that piece of grilled salmon or seafood. Add whole grain rolls or breadsticks on the side, and dinner’s on the table. Read more

Dear Mary, I’m self-employed and need to borrow money for a short-term expense. Using a credit card for this expense would be astronomical, and a bank won’t lend me money for only a short time. A loan through a family member isn’t possible. Do I have any other borrowing options? Kathy, California

Dear Kathy, It all depends on how disciplined you are. If you don’t have the money you need now, but know for sure you will have it in a relatively short period of time to repay a loan, there is a pretty clever way that you can do this. Basically, you are going to treat the IRS as you would a credit card.Read more

https://i1.wp.com/www.everydaycheapskate.com/wp-content/uploads/Money-Giving-e1340642564339.jpg?fit=565%2C847&ssl=1847565Mary Hunthttps://www.everydaycheapskate.com/wp-content/uploads/EverydayCheapskateNewLogo.jpgMary Hunt2012-06-21 08:19:062012-06-26 13:23:31How to Get a Cheap Loan From the IRS

Photocopying or reproduction other than for subscribers’ personal use is strictly prohibited without written permission from the publisher, DPL Press, Inc. Everyday Cheapskate, Debt-Proof Living, Cheapskate Monthly, Tiptionary, Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan, Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan Calculator, Freedom Account, Live the Plan! and 7 Money Rules for Life are trademarks owned by Mary Hunt.All letters, tips and other materials and correspondence submitted to Everyday Cheapskate, Debt-Proof Living and Mary Hunt become the property of Mary Hunt and all rights thereto including copyrights.

Submitters grant the exclusive right to use and or reproduce the materials in any manner and for any purpose. All information published is taken from the most reliable sources possible and given as information only. All specific financial, legal, tax and accounting situations should be referred to appropriate legal or accounting professionals.

Hi, I’m Mary!

I believe that you can live below your means where you are consistently spending less than you earn, so you have enough money to save, give and live! The secret is to get clever and creative with how to save time and money every day!

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